"He’s been bugging me” - Beneil Dariush shares out of character callout of Dustin Poirier after losing out on UFC 311 fight 

Beneil Dariush has been left at the altar by Renato Moicano, who stepped up on short notice to face Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311. Moicano and Dariush were meant to clash on the main card of the pay-per-view event, but the American will no longer feature on the card at all.

Having lost his previous two bouts, the 35-year-old was hungry to get back in the win column against an elite contender in Moicano. But Dariush has already identified a potential timeline for return, naming March as an ideal date for his next fight.

He was interviewed by The Schmo after news broke that Moicano would face Makhachev in the main event of UFC 311. The lightweight contender, known as one of the most respectful fighters on the roster, was asked if he had a next opponent in mind and shared a somewhat out-of-character response.

He said this:

"Ideally it would be Dustin Poirier. I don't know what it is, but lately he's been bugging me too. There was talks of us fighting, and he was like, 'Nah I'm not interested. I want to fight bigger names, this and that.' Then he turns around and fights Benoit Saint Denis, who was ranked behind me, out of nowhere. Obviously he got a title shot off of it... The whole game he played with that, it changed in my eyes."

Check out Beneil Dariush's comments on Dustin Poirier below (5:00):

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Beneil Dariush breaks down Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano

UFC 311 has a new main event, as Arman Tsarukyan was forced to withdraw from the card due to a back injury. Islam Makhachev, the lightweight champion, will now face Renato Moicano, one of the most in-form fighters in the division.

The Brazilian's original opponent, Beneil Dariush, has found himself without a dance partner for the pay-per-view card and will no longer compete. But he confirmed that the UFC has paid him both his show money and his win money.

During his aforementioned interview with The Schmo, Dariush broke down the newly announced main event, saying this:

"One thing, I for sure had a feeling I had a big advantage [over Moicano] was in the grappling. I think Makhachev is going to have a big advantage in the grappling as well. I think Makhachev is going to come out early and take him down and that's gonna be the right direction for him. But Moicano's best bet is to come out guns slinging." [6:22-6:50 in Beneil Dariush's interview]